The deadline is just around the corner to submit entries for the Tennessee Wildlife magazine photo contest. All photographers are invited to submit their best photos on fishing, wildlife native to the Volunteer State, and fishing and hunting scenes in Tennessee.

March 5 is this year’s entry deadline.

Photos will be reviewed for publication in the annual calendar edition of Tennessee Wildlife magazine. If a photo is selected for the calendar edition, the photographer will receive a cash stipend of $60.

The format is horizontal digital images on disc. Only digital images in JPEG format and of high resolution (300 dpi) sized as an 8 1/2 x 11 will be accepted.

Each disc must have the name of the photographer, address and telephone number. No prints can be accepted. (Sorry, discs cannot be returned).

Tennessee’s 2010-11 deer harvest numbers had a slight increase over those of the previous year, according to official Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) harvest reports.

As harvest numbers continued to trickle in through January, Tennessee hunters harvested 162,465 deer, beginning with the archery season in late September (an increase of 644 from the previous year).

Giles County topped the harvest totals with 5,236 deer. Henry County was second with 5,096; followed by Hardeman with 4,657; Fayette with 4,730; Lincoln with 4,380; Franklin with 3,940; Maury with 3,607; Montgomery with 3,523; Weakley with 3,369; and Carroll with 3,071 to round out the top 10. A harvest increase was reported in 54 of Tennessee’s 95 counties during the 2010-11 deer hunting seasons.

The TWRA is soliciting comments for its 2011-12 hunting seasons. This is an opportunity for the public to share ideas and concerns about hunting regulations with TWRA staff.

Public comments will be considered by TWRA’s Wildlife Division staff and may be presented as proposals for regulation changes. Comments may be submitted by mail to: 2011-12 Hunting Season Comments, TWRA, Wildlife Management Division, P.O. 40747, Nashville, TN 37204; or emailed to twra.comment@tn.gov. Please include “Hunting Season Comments” on the subject line of email submissions. The comment period concerning the 2011-12 hunting season regulations will be open until Feb. 24.

Bald eagle nests

being surveyed

Scott Somershoe, ornithologist for The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), has announced that the agency is looking for bald eagle nests across Tennessee in 2011.

The TWRA, in partnership with other government agencies and private citizens, has been monitoring bald eagle nests statewide for many years. However, there are gaps in monitoring as birds have moved nests, and many new nests are appearing annually.

Somershoe says it is the aim to conduct a complete inventory of eagle nests in Tennessee during 2011. The goal of the project is to document all active nesting locations in the state as part of a comprehensive nest-monitoring program to estimate population size and growth for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

New eagle nests are showing up across the state, including one within the city limits of Franklin. There are many other nests that may have been around for years that are not included in the statewide database.

If you have any questions or know of any bald eagle nests, please contact Somershoe at (615) 781-6653 or scott.somershoe@tn.gov.

Hunter education class

set March 8 at Cove Lake

Ken Cutsinger will teach a Tennessee Hunter Education class beginning March 8 at 6 p.m. at Cove Lake State Park.

State law requires that anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, beginning at age 10, possess proof of satisfactory completion of an approved hunter education course before hunting in Tennessee.

In order to enroll in a hunter education class, students must be at least 9 years old. Persons ages 6-9 may participate in young sportsman and wildlife management area hunts without hunter education, but must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old.

Participants need to bring a pencil and their Social Security number to class.